Chinese Mythology
Did you know that they are over 200 gods and goddesses worship throughout in
Ancient China? And they are only the popular ones. If we are going to count every single god,
there will be thousands.
These deities were believed to have created the world we live in today, each god or deity
have his or her own unique power and responsibilities.
They can control the sky, manipulate the sea and destroy earth itself and many more.
Major Deities
1. PANGU
Pangu ( 盤古) is an ancient Chinese deity considered to be the first living being and
creator of the world. Emerging from an egg containing the entire cosmos, his birth released
the universe.
Descriptions: Hairy, short, stout, horned and associated with the Yin and Yang Concept.
Pangu is comprised of the Chinese characters pán (盤), meaning to “coil,” and
gǔ (古), meaning “ancient.”
A festival celebrating Pangu is held each year at Pangu King Temple in
Guangdong Province.
He never had any children, and as such lacks any familial relations.
Nevertheless, Pangu remains beloved by many and is usually seen as a
benevolent and innocent deity.
2. FUXI (father of humankind)
Fuxi (伏羲), is considered one of humanity’s original ancestors in Chinese mythology,
as well as China's first hero and one of the most powerful gods. He is responsible for the
invention of the writing system, fishing, and the domestication of animals.
Fuxi is often portrayed in art as having the head of a human and the body of a snake
— like his sister, Nüwa.
The Invention of Fishing and Trapping
The Bagua (八卦) or Eight Trigrams
The symbols are made of three broken or unbroken lines and are meant to
represents the 8 fundamental principles of reality
The Domestication of Livestock
The Creation of Mankind
A month-long festival is held from February 2 to March 3 of the lunar calendar to
honor Fuxi at his temple in Tianshui City.
3. NUWA (mother of humankind)
In Chinese mythology, Nüwa (女媧), also known as Empress Wa, is the creator of all
mankind and both sister and wife of the hero Fuxi (伏羲). She is most well-known for her
role in the creation myth and for repairing the Pillars of Heaven.
The People of Clay
After Pangu (盤古) emerged from his mythical egg and created the physical universe, the
earth separated from the heavens and became a beautiful place full of lush, green vegetation, vast
rivers, tall mountains, and all sorts of animals.
One day, Nüwa decided to go for a walk in the woods among the mountains and animals.
As she walked along, she was suddenly overcome with loneliness. Even though everything
around her was strikingly beautiful, Nüwa had no one to keep her company. She decided to
pause along the banks of a river and began to make figures out of clay from the mud.
At first she began to make easy shapes like chickens and sheep, and though they amused
her, she soon became bored with them. Gazing into the river and seeing her reflection, she was
struck with inspiration. Why not make clay figures that looked like her?
She began to shape the mud into figures with faces, arms, hands, and legs. To her
delight, they began to dance and talk with her when she put them on the ground. She
decided to name them humans (人).
Nüwa was so excited by her creation that she made clay figures until her hands hurt. She
took the end of a rope, dipped it in the mud, and began to swing it around her head forming blobs
of sticky mud around her. It is said that highborn, noble people are descendants of those that
Nüwa created by hand, while working class people were formed from the rope.
In art, she’s usually depicted as a supernatural creature with a human face and a long
serpentine body but is also sometimes simply drawn as a woman dressed in traditional
Chinese hanfu.
4. Jade Emperor (grandfather of humankind)
The Jade Emperor (玉皇) is one of Chinese mythology’s most important and popular
deities. He is considered to be the ruler of heaven, one of the highest ranking gods, and the
very first of the Chinese emperors.
The Jade Emperor is more commonly referred to as tiān gōng ( 天 公 ), or “heavenly
grandfather.”
The Jade Emperor is married to the Celestial Queen Mother, Xiwangmu (西王母).
The couple are said to have had an enormous amount of children together, and three of their
daughters hold important places in Chinese mythology.
Even today, the Jade Emperor plays a significant role in Chinese life, especially
around Chinese New Year. During the New Year, the Jade Emperor is said to judge the
character of each individual over the past year and punish or reward them accordingly.
5. Xiwangmu (grandmother of humankind)
Xiwangmu ( 西 王 母 ), or Queen Mother of the West, is an ancient Chinese goddess
who tends to the Peaches of Immortality, serves as a guardian to all Daoist women, and is
married to the Jade Emperor. Xiwangmu tends to the Peaches of Immortality and serves as a
guardian to all Daoist women. She also played a key role in giving human emperors the
Mandate of Heaven.
She has complete control over life, death, creation, and destruction. She is married to
the Jade Emperor ( 玉 皇 ) and tends to the Peaches of Immortality in their palace gardens.
Xiwangmu is thought to have once been a wild demon that lived in the mountains and caused
cataclysmic disasters. After repenting her evil ways, she achieved enlightenment and
became a goddess.
Xiwangmu – one way of saying grandmother.
6. Chang’e
The beautiful goddess of the moon, Chang’e ( 嫦 娥 ) is a Chinese deity known for
stealing the elixir of immortality from her husband Hou Yi. Her story plays a pivotal role in
the annual Mid-Autumn Festival and remains popular to this day.
Prior to becoming the spirit of the moon, Chang’e was a woman renowned throughout
China for her beauty. She had pale, milky skin, hair as black as night, and lips like cherry
blossoms.
Dessert – moon cakes
7. Hou Yi
In Chinese mythology, Hou Yi ( 后 羿 ) is considered to be the greatest archer of all
time. He is best known for marrying the moon goddess, Chang’e ( 嫦娥 ), and shooting down
nine of the ten suns.
Chang’e Drinks the Elixir of Immortality
To reward Houyi for his valiant deeds of getting rid of the ten suns, Xiwangmu (西王母)
gave Hou Yi a bottle of her elixir of immortality so that he might return to the Jade Emperor’s
palace as a god. The gift left Hou Yi feeling conflicted. While he wanted to be immortal, he did
not want to leave his wife Chang’e to die alone. He hid the elixir away while he pondered his
decision. Before Hou Yi was able to decide, however, Chang’e stole the vial from him while he
was sleeping.
She drank the contents of the bottle and fled to the moon to escape her husband’s wrath.
Hou Yi was so upset with his wife that he aimed an arrow at her, intending to shoot her down; in
the end, he could not bring himself to do it. After some time and his anger had passed, Hou Yi
started to leave out Chang’e’s favorite desserts and fruits each night to show that he had forgiven
her. Hou Yi’s actions started a tradition that has continued into the modern era. Even
today, people leave offerings to Chang’e during the annual Mid-Autumn Festival.
8. Guanyin
The goddess of mercy and compassion, Guanyin is a key figure in many ancient and
contemporary Chinese myths and legends. Guanyin has the ability to hear the sorrows and
woes of the world and she embodies empathy, kindness, and grace. Stories of Guanyin
often include her sidekick and disciple, Shancai, a formerly crippled Indian boy who was
miraculously healed by Guanyin. The importance and influence of Guanyin can still be felt in
Chinese culture today.
Her name represents her ability to hear all the cries of suffering in the world and
her infinite compassion. Guanyin is usually depicted wearing a flowing white robe and jade
necklaces. In Chinese culture, the colors white and jade both symbolize purity.
GUANYIN or GUANYIN PUSA – known for helping the distress, the hunger and
comforting those who needed; popular and loved by all ages as a god
Symbol of forgiveness
9. Sun Wukong
Sun Wukong ( 孫 悟 空 ), known as the Monkey King, is a Chinese trickster god. He
plays a central role in the 16th-century novel Journey to the West, achieving enlightenment
as Tang Sanzang’s disciple.
Wukong is blessed with unmatched superhuman strength and the ability to
transform into 72 different animals and objects. Each of his hairs have transformative
powers, and he can magically manipulate wind, water and fire as well. Characterized by his
short temper, impatience and proclivity towards anger and to a benevolent, enlightened being. In
Japan, he is known as Son Goku. Sun Wukong is one of the most important and beloved
literary figures in Chinese culture.
His name meant to represent his virtual journey from an ignorant short-tempered
monkey to a benevolent enlightenment being.
10. Nezha
Nezha ( 哪 吒 ) is a teenage protective deity in Chinese mythology with a rebellious
streak who protects teenagers and professional drivers.
His mother, Lady Yin, was pregnant with Nezha for a startling three years and six
months. When she gave birth, a meaty ball of flesh emerged from her body. Her husband,
thinking that his wife had just given birth to a demon, slashed at the lump of flesh with his
sword. A fully grown boy lept from the ball, bowed and greeted his parents. Shocked at what
they had just witnessed, Nezha’s parents froze with fear. However, a Buddhist monk named
Taiyi Zhenren who helped deliver Nezha told them not to worry and that they had been
blessed with a boy who wielded godly powers. Taiyi Zhenren then decided to take Nezha under
his wing as a disciple. Despite the monk’s kind words, Nezha’s parents would always be a little
bit uncertain about their youngest son.
Nezha Kills the Dragon King’s Son
One day, Nezha was playing in the surf and noticed a little dragon boy off in the waves.
Nezha was a very lonely child. Very few kids were willing to play with him because of the
strange circumstances of his birth. So, he threw a ball at the dragon boy and asked him if he
wanted to play. The boy, whose name was Ao Bing, was looking for a friend too and joined
him on the surf. Nezha, however, didn’t know his own strength accidentally smothered his new
friend to death while they were play-fighting.
Little did he know that Ao Bing’s father was the East Sea Dragon King, Ao Guang.
Upon learning of his son’s death, Ao Guang was grief stricken and angry beyond reason. Ao
Guang went to Nezha’s parents and demanded retribution—he wanted Nezha to die in return for
his son’s own death. Torrential rains began to pour down from the heavens and Ao Guang
threatened to flood all of China if he didn’t get what he wanted. To save his family and
everyone else in the country, Nezha chose to commit suicide and give his bones and flesh to
Ao Guang as “payment” for his misdeeds. The rains stopped immediately. However, Nezha’s
soul was uneasy since he died at such a young age and couldn’t cross over to the afterlife. One
night, Nezha appeared in a dream to his mother and asked her to build a temple for him so his
soul would have a place to rest.
Delighted that her son wasn’t truly dead, Lady Yin went and commissioned a
temple for her son. His father, however, felt that Nezha had brought too much shame and
dishonor to his family, and took a hammer to the temple and tore it down. After seeing what
his father had done, Nezha was filled with a murderous rage. At the same time, Nezha’s
master Taiyi Zhenren missed his student so much that he decided to reincarnate him out of
a body made from lotus roots. After Nezha was reborn, the monk gifted Nezha a fire-tipped
spear and the Wind Fire Wheels that gave him the ability to move at incredible speeds.
Nezha immediately went to hunt down his father.
When Nezha’s father saw him coming down the road, he started to run for his life. He
found his second youngest son, Muzha, and begged him to defend him against Nezha.
Nezha killed his brother without hesitation and was just about to strike down his father
when he was stopped by two Buddhas, Wenshu Guangfa Tianzun and Randeng Daoren.
Though they agreed that Nezha hadn’t been treated fairly by his father, they reminded him that
killing one’s parents was a grave sin. Realizing that they were right, Nezha decided to
reconcile with his father instead.
Nezha’s story is meant to be an example of filial piety and show that children must
respect their parents, no matter the reason or cost to one’s personal pride.
11. Dragon King
In Chinese mythology, Longwang ( 龍 王 ) is a guardian deity who can control all
dragons, the creatures in the sea, the oceans, and the weather.
DRAGON OF FOUR SEAS
Ao Gu a ng – rules the Eastern Sea
Ao Qin – controls the South Sea
Ao Run – governs the West Sea
Ao Shun – lords over the North Sea
These dragons are the brothers of King Dragon and also they are worshipped.
Those dragon boat appear in China up to this day was inspired to Longwang
12. Zhong Kui
Zhong Kui (鍾馗), known as the demon hunter, is a Chinese deity and folk hero who
fights ghosts. Thwarted by an unsightly appearance as a mortal, he committed suicide, and was
granted supernatural powers in the afterlife.
Zhong Kui’s legend was a tragic one. In ancient times, Zhong Kui and his friend, Du
Ping ( 杜平 ), took the imperial exams. Although Zhong Kui scored at the top of his class, he
wasn’t awarded a position in the emperor’s government. Instead, he was stripped of all honors
because of his unsightly appearance—he had a square face, fish-like eyes, and unkempt hair. He
was so upset about the injustice done to him that he threw himself at the gates of the palace until
his skull broke.
Du Ping took his friend’s body home and laid him to rest. While in Hell, Yan Wang (閻
王) saw Zhong Kui’s potential and named him the King of Ghosts. Zhong Kui then vowed to
use his new status and supernatural abilities to protect the emperor, and all other humans, from
demons and ghosts.
Zhong Kui is still a popular protective deity whose likeness is often hung on the
doors of homes and businesses to defend against malevolent spirits. People seek his help
during the Chinese New Year when they ask him to watch over their homes and families in the
coming year and ward off ghosts and demons that may threaten them.
13. Mazu
In Chinese mythology, Mazu (媽祖) is the goddess of the sea and provides protection
to sailors, fisherman, and travelers. Closely associated with the goddess of
mercy, Guanyin (觀音), Mazu is the patron goddess of sailors, fishermen, and travelers. She
is especially popular in Southern Chinese coastal communities, in places
like Fujian and Macau and overseas Chinese communities. It’s not uncommon to see Mazu
temples or shrines every few miles along Chinese coastal roads.
Mazu’s name is comprised of the characters mā (媽), meaning “mother,” and zǔ (祖)
which means “ancestor.” Before she became a goddess, Mazu’s human name was Lín Mò
(林默), or “Silent Lin.” In Taoism, she is known as Tian Shang Sheng Mu ( 天上聖母), or
“heavenly goddess.”
14. Eight Immortals
The Ba Xian (八仙), also called the Eight Immortals, are a group of legendary heroes
of ancient times who fight for justice and vanquish evil, according to Chinese mythology.
Popular during the Tang and Shang Dynasties, the Eight Immortals are said to live on a
group of five islands in the Bohai Sea.
Although they have always been an important part of Chinese oral history, their stories were
first recorded by the Ming Dynasty poet Wu Yuantai.
Like the AVENGERS, they grew to fight justice
